Recaps

Lin Qinrou condemned Jiang Xiaobai for supposedly buying his Top Graduate title, but Li Zhiwei revealed he had written “On the Teacher” and become her grandfather’s disciple. Still uncertain, Lin Qinrou challenged Jiang Xiaobai to write another essay on the spot.

• Lin Qinrou accused Jiang Xiaobai of buying his examination title and denounced him as a threat to the imperial examinations.
• Li Zhiwei defended Jiang Xiaobai and revealed that he had written “On the Teacher.”
• Li Zhiwei explained that Lin Qinrou’s grandfather had accepted Jiang Xiaobai as a disciple after reading his essay.
• Lin Qinrou questioned how her grandfather could have taken another disciple, since he had said he would accept no more.
• Lin Qinrou proposed verifying Jiang Xiaobai’s talent by asking him to write another essay immediately and suggested he would not dare.

Jiang Xiaobai agreed to write an essay for Lin Qinrou in exchange for one request, then quickly completed a piece about horses. Lin Qinrou received the paper and saw its title, “On the Horse.”

• Lin Qinrou challenged Jiang Xiaobai to write another essay, but he refused to do so without a wager.
• Lin Qinrou offered to grant Jiang Xiaobai one request if his essay satisfied her, and he accepted.
• Jiang Xiaobai asked Lin Qinrou what she thought of horses, then began writing while she and Li Zhiwei watched.
• Jiang Xiaobai finished the essay quickly and handed it to Lin Qinrou.
• Lin Qinrou accepted the paper and read its title, “On the Horse.”

Jiang Xiaobai impressed Lin Qinrou and Li Zhiwei with his essay "On the Horse," dispelling Lin Qinrou’s doubts about his talent. After admitting she had misjudged him, Lin Qinrou offered to grant him a favor, and Jiang Xiaobai asked to flick her forehead.

• Li Zhiwei and Lin Qinrou read Jiang Xiaobai’s essay "On the Horse" and were astonished by its skill.
• Lin Qinrou reread the essay, admitted it was fine, and acknowledged that she had been shallow to doubt Jiang Xiaobai.
• Lin Qinrou offered to agree to a reasonable request from Jiang Xiaobai.
• Jiang Xiaobai asked Lin Qinrou to come closer so he could flick her forehead.
• Lin Qinrou nervously stepped up, closed her eyes, and told Jiang Xiaobai to go ahead.

Jiang Xiaobai’s gentle treatment of Lin Qinrou softened her hostility and led her to write down the rules for an audience with the emperor. When Li Zhiwei returned with the paper, Jiang Xiaobai read it and reacted with disbelief.

• Jiang Xiaobai gave Lin Qinrou a gentle tap on the forehead instead of the hard flick he had threatened, then urged her to open her heart.
• Lin Qinrou reconsidered her view of Jiang Xiaobai and wondered whether he had been concealing his abilities.
• Lin Qinrou stopped Li Zhiwei and offered to write down the rules for an audience with the emperor.
• Jiang Xiaobai waited in the carriage with Zhang Xinnian, then received Li Zhiwei after an hour.
• Li Zhiwei handed Jiang Xiaobai Lin Qinrou’s note, and he asked whether she had really written it.

Jiang Xiaobai studied Lin Qinrou’s detailed advice for his audience with His Majesty and learned he might face the Martial Top Graduate in a contest. As the carriage passed the market district, Zhang Xinnian exposed Jiang Xiaobai’s past visits to the Spring Moon Tower, leaving him scrambling to deny it in front of Li Zhiwei.

• Li Zhiwei explained that Lin Qinrou disliked returning home because Lin Fengshuo made her practice her handwriting.
• Jiang Xiaobai read Lin Qinrou’s advice for appearing before His Majesty, including a warning that he might be tested against the Martial Top Graduate.
• Li Zhiwei warned Jiang Xiaobai that past Martial Top Graduates had high cultivation, but Jiang Xiaobai said he looked forward to the audience.
• Jiang Xiaobai spotted the Spring Moon Tower from the carriage and claimed he had never been there.
• Zhang Xinnian said Jiang Xiaobai used to visit the Spring Moon Tower often and request a dozen or more girls, prompting Jiang Xiaobai to tell him to shut up.

Jiang Xiaobai returned to the Marquis's Residence after discussing his upcoming meeting with the emperor and reflecting on his deceased elder brothers. There he discovered General Tang Kui had arrived and was laughing at a story about Jiang Xiaobai buying the title of Top Graduate.

• Jiang Xiaobai told Zhang Xinnian that he was a little nervous about meeting the emperor but mostly found the prospect fun.
• Zhang Xinnian recalled Jiang Xiaobai's deceased elder brothers, prompting Jiang Xiaobai to resolve to uncover the truth about their deaths.
• Jiang Xiaobai and Zhang Xinnian arrived at the Marquis's Residence and found soldiers in armor resembling General Tang's guards.
• Zhang Xinnian explained that Tang Kui was a renowned general who had fought alongside the Marquis and had recently returned from the Southern Pass.
• Jiang Xiaobai reached the main hall and heard Tang Kui laughing about the claim that Jiang Xiaobai had bought the title of Top Graduate.

Jiang Xiaobai met General Tang Kui and his daughter Tang Ningshuang at the Northern Guardian Marquis's Estate, where they discussed his upcoming audience with His Majesty over the purchased Top Graduate title. He revealed that he had arranged a marriage alliance with Miss Li of the Chancellor's Residence as his first preparation.

• Tang Kui laughed at Jiang Jingcheng over Jiang Xiaobai buying the title of Top Graduate and asked how they would handle the audience with His Majesty.
• Jiang Xiaobai entered the hall with Zhang Xinnian, greeted his father, and was introduced to Tang Kui and Tang Ningshuang.
• Tang Ningshuang refused to return Jiang Xiaobai's greeting, and Tang Kui apologized for her blunt behavior.
• Tang Kui asked Jiang Xiaobai what he had prepared for his audience with His Majesty the next day.
• Jiang Xiaobai said he had arranged a marriage alliance with Miss Li of the Chancellor's Residence as his first step.

Jiang Xiaobai revealed that Chancellor Li had agreed to let him marry into the Li family and that Lin Fengshuo had accepted him as a student. Tang Kui was stunned but thought the two connections might help Jiang Xiaobai at his imperial audience the next day, while Jiang Xiaobai attributed it to his talent.

• Tang Kui and Tang Ningshuang doubted Jiang Xiaobai’s claim that he would marry Chancellor Li’s daughter, but Jiang Jingcheng confirmed the alliance.
• Jiang Jingcheng revealed that Jiang Xiaobai would marry into the Li family, prompting Tang Kui to laugh before questioning why Li Bingzhang had agreed.
• Jiang Xiaobai announced that Lin Fengshuo had also taken him as a student, leaving Tang Kui incredulous and Tang Ningshuang skeptical.
• Tang Kui reasoned that Chancellor Li’s influence and Lin Fengshuo’s favor might help Jiang Xiaobai at his imperial audience the next day.
• When Tang Kui asked why Li Bingzhang had agreed to the marriage, Jiang Xiaobai bashfully suggested it was because he was too talented.

Jiang Xiaobai told Jiang Jingcheng to stay home instead of attending court, while Tang Kui left convinced that Jiang Xiaobai’s claims might be true. On the ride home, Tang Ningshuang announced that she had earned the Martial Top Graduate title and intended to ask His Majesty for permission to enlist.

• Tang Kui promised Jiang Jingcheng he would support Jiang Xiaobai at court, then left with Tang Ningshuang.
• Jiang Xiaobai urged Jiang Jingcheng to feign illness and skip court, and Jiang Jingcheng agreed to consider it.
• Tang Ningshuang dismissed Jiang Xiaobai as a braggart, but Tang Kui said Jiang Jingcheng’s support made his claims credible.
• Tang Kui asked Tang Ningshuang about her good news, and she said she intended to enlist.
• Tang Ningshuang revealed that she had earned the Martial Top Graduate title and planned to request permission to enlist from His Majesty.

Jiang Xiaobai learned that he had officially placed first in the Imperial Civil Service Examination, though scholars gathered outside his home accusing him of buying the title. Eunuch Gao delivered the emperor’s decree naming him Top Graduate and ordering him to the palace for an audience, leaving Jiang Xiaobai to prepare to meet His Majesty.

• Zhang Xinnian told Jiang Xiaobai that the examination results named him Top Graduate and that angry scholars were cursing him outside the Marquis’s Estate.
• Jiang Xiaobai dismissed Zhang Xinnian’s offer to drive the scholars away and continued eating breakfast.
• A servant summoned Jiang Xiaobai to the main hall, where Eunuch Gao had arrived from the Imperial Palace.
• Eunuch Gao read the imperial decree naming Jiang Xiaobai Top Graduate and ordering him to attend an immediate audience with the emperor.
• Jiang Xiaobai accepted the decree and agreed to prepare to accompany Eunuch Gao to the palace.

Jiang Xiaobai went to the palace for an audience with the emperor while scholars outside the Northern Guardian Marquis's Estate accused him of cheating to earn the Top Graduate title. As he arrived at the hall, he heard a court official demand that his title be revoked and given to Guo Zhan.

• Jiang Xiaobai declined to prepare further and left for the palace with Eunuch Gao, telling Jiang Jingcheng to stay home and rest.
• A crowd of scholars gathered outside the estate and abused Jiang Xiaobai, accusing him of buying or cheating his way to the Top Graduate title, but he remained calm and entered a sedan chair.
• Jiang Xiaobai and Eunuch Gao reached the Imperial Palace, where Jiang Xiaobai marveled at its grandeur before following Eunuch Gao toward the audience hall.
• Outside the hall, Jiang Xiaobai heard an official urge the emperor to strip him of the Top Graduate title and award it to runner-up Guo Zhan.

Jiang Xiaobai was summoned before Emperor Xiao Jinxuan as officials challenged his imperial examination victory and called for an investigation. After hearing their accusations, Jiang Xiaobai remained composed, and the emperor asked whether he had heard what his ministers said.

• Eunuch Gao informed Xiao Jinxuan that Jiang Xiaobai was waiting outside, and the emperor ordered him summoned.
• Jiang Xiaobai entered the Imperial Court, greeted Xiao Jinxuan, and noticed the hostile second- and third-place graduates, Guo Zhan and Zhong Yu.
• Official Chen and other officials questioned whether Jiang Xiaobai deserved the Top Graduate title and urged Xiao Jinxuan to investigate the examination.
• Xiao Jinxuan silenced the officials and asked Jiang Xiaobai whether he had heard what they said.
• Jiang Xiaobai answered that he had heard.

Jiang Xiaobai defended himself against accusations that he bought the Top Graduate position, arguing that a bad reputation alone could not prove guilt. Chen Zhanqiu produced a licentiate and An Zhiyuan, who accused Jiang Xiaobai of threatening him into leaking the exam questions and arranging a substitute writer.

• Jiang Xiaobai acknowledged that officials could reasonably doubt his reputation but argued that suspicion alone could not justify punishment.
• Xiao Jinxuan agreed that reputation did not define everything and asked Chen Zhanqiu whether he had anything else to say.
• Chen Zhanqiu claimed to have evidence and ordered a licentiate brought into the court.
• Chen Zhanqiu called on An Zhiyuan, the vice minister of the Ministry of Rites, who confessed to a crime.
• An Zhiyuan accused Jiang Xiaobai of threatening him, said he had leaked the examination questions and found someone to write Jiang Xiaobai's answers, and identified the kneeling licentiate as the substitute writer.

Jiang Xiaobai defended himself before Xiao Jinxuan by accusing An Zhiyuan and Chen Zhanqiu of corruption and mishandling the Imperial Civil Service Examination. He admitted a substitute took the exam in his place, claiming he had done it to expose wrongdoing, and demanded that An Zhiyuan and Chen Zhanqiu be executed.

• Jiang Xiaobai questioned the substitute, who said An Zhiyuan had recruited him and that he had never met Jiang Xiaobai.
• Jiang Xiaobai challenged An Zhiyuan’s claim that he had been threatened, arguing that the cheating scheme required help from officials across the examination process.
• Jiang Xiaobai accused Chen Zhanqiu of delaying his report and investigation until the cheating scandal had become public, making Chen Zhanqiu struggle to defend himself before Xiao Jinxuan.
• Jiang Xiaobai admitted that someone had taken the examination in his place, claiming he had deliberately joined the scheme to uncover corruption in the Ministry of Rites.
• Jiang Xiaobai asked Xiao Jinxuan to have An Zhiyuan and Chen Zhanqiu beheaded as an example.

Jiang Xiaobai defended his Top Graduate title before Xiao Jinxuan by offering to answer a question about the strained treasury and frontier military costs. After Guo Zhan and Zhong Yu proposed cutting expenses and surveying farmland, Jiang Xiaobai began outlining a different solution, leaving his four proposals unrevealed.

• Chen Zhanqiu and An Zhiyuan begged Xiao Jinxuan for mercy and accused Jiang Xiaobai of buying his rank and forcing blame onto them.
• Jiang Xiaobai claimed he had earned the Top Graduate title through his own talent and invited Xiao Jinxuan to test him on the spot.
• Xiao Jinxuan asked how to relieve the treasury's burden without harming the frontier army or raising taxes, and Jiang Xiaobai asked Guo Zhan and Zhong Yu to answer first.
• Guo Zhan proposed cutting unnecessary spending and correcting financial records, while Zhong Yu called for surveying farmland and rebuilding household registers; Xiao Jinxuan judged both plans flawed.
• Jiang Xiaobai said the court should draw wealth already circulating among the people, magnates, and merchants into the treasury, then announced that he had four proposals.

Jiang Xiaobai presented Xiao Jinxuan with four strategies to strengthen the treasury by taxing commercial profits, reforming military procurement, opening border markets, and improving financial accounts. He ended by accusing Chen Zhanqiu and An Zhiyuan of corrupting the civil service examination and urging Xiao Jinxuan to investigate the Ministry of Rites and execute them if the charges proved true.

• Jiang Xiaobai proposed taxing profits from lucrative industries instead of raising land taxes on farmers.
• Jiang Xiaobai called for open bidding and three-party inspections to reduce losses in military procurement without cutting Northern Frontier funding.
• Jiang Xiaobai proposed opening official markets in three border cities, directing thirty percent of proceeds to the border troops and seventy percent to the treasury.
• Jiang Xiaobai recommended redrawing local financial registers with a new numerical system, and Xiao Jinxuan ordered the new methods formally introduced if they improved audits.
• Jiang Xiaobai accused Chen Zhanqiu and An Zhiyuan of corrupting the civil service examination and asked Xiao Jinxuan to investigate the Ministry of Rites and execute them if the allegations were proven.

During the court debate over who should investigate fraud in the Ministry of Rites, Li Bingzhang backed Jiang Xiaobai and revealed that his daughter Li Zhiwei would marry him. Xiao Jinxuan approved the match and the investigation, but Jiang Xiaobai then asked the emperor to withdraw the decree and entrust the case to the Censorate.

• Chen Zhanqiu tried to speak, but Xiao Jinxuan ordered a thorough investigation of the Ministry of Rites.
• Li Bingzhang proposed that Jiang Xiaobai lead the investigation, and Tang Kui, the military officials, and Master Song supported the proposal.
• Minister Zheng and Chief Grand Secretary Meng objected, citing Jiang Xiaobai's proper place in the Hanlin Academy and concerns about the Jiang family's military power.
• Li Bingzhang said Elder Lin had taken Jiang Xiaobai as his disciple and asked Xiao Jinxuan to approve Jiang Xiaobai's marriage to Li Zhiwei.
• Xiao Jinxuan approved the marriage and the investigation, but Jiang Xiaobai objected and asked him to assign the case to the Censorate instead.

Xiao Jinxuan appointed Jiang Xiaobai imperial investigator of the examination fraud case and approved his marriage to Li Zhiwei, removing him from the Northern Guardian Marquis’s line of succession. As the military examination’s top three entered for the graduates’ mutual testing, Jiang Xiaobai recognized Tang Ningshuang and feared she would target him.

• Xiao Jinxuan appointed Jiang Xiaobai imperial investigator, with Pei Shen and representatives of the Ministry of Justice and Censorate assisting him.
• Xiao Jinxuan approved Jiang Xiaobai’s marriage agreement with Li Zhiwei and ordered the Court of Imperial Sacrifices to arrange the wedding after the fraud case was resolved.
• Xiao Jinxuan removed Jiang Xiaobai from the Northern Guardian Marquis’s succession and left the estate’s title and military command to be decided by the court.
• Xiao Jinxuan summoned the top three military examination graduates for the traditional mutual testing against the civil graduates.
• Jiang Xiaobai recognized the martial graduate leading the group as Tang Ningshuang and worried she would torment him; someone nearby asked whether he had put on his armor.

At the imperial court, Martial Top Graduate Tang Ningshuang challenged Jiang Xiaobai to withstand her attacks without retreating or dodging. Jiang Xiaobai halted her before she struck and proposed a different test, leaving Tang Ningshuang to hear his idea.

• Xiao Jinxuan welcomed Tang Ningshuang, Qin Zhaoye, and Lu Chenshan, and learned that Tang Ningshuang had taken first place in mounted combat, personal combat, and archery.
• Xiao Jinxuan ordered the martial candidates to challenge the civil candidates first, beginning with Top Graduates Jiang Xiaobai and Tang Ningshuang.
• Tang Ningshuang, contemptuous of Jiang Xiaobai, raised her sheathed sword and challenged him to stand his ground against her attacks for half a quarter-hour.
• Jiang Xiaobai stopped Tang Ningshuang as she began to draw her sword and said he had a better idea, daring her to hear it.

Jiang Xiaobai proposed a six-person contest that tested judgment rather than brute force, then won by smothering the flames around his token without damaging the provisions. His victory impressed Xiao Jinxuan and Tang Ningshuang, while Qin Zhaoye challenged his methods and was silenced by Jiang Xiaobai’s defense of battlefield strategy.

• Jiang Xiaobai proposed that all six contestants retrieve command tokens from burning trays without using internal energy or damaging the provisions, and Xiao Jinxuan approved.
• Eunuch Gao prepared the trays, and Guo Zhan, Zhong Yu, Lu Chenshan, and Qin Zhaoye each failed to retrieve their tokens safely.
• Tang Ningshuang suppressed part of the fire with a teacup and reached for her token, but Jiang Xiaobai used a cup and wet paper to cut off the flames and won first.
• Jiang Xiaobai explained that water could spread burning oil and that fire needed air, impressing Xiao Jinxuan and Master Song.
• Qin Zhaoye dismissed Jiang Xiaobai’s victory as a clever trick, but Jiang Xiaobai called such tactics strategy, and Tang Ningshuang showed him less disdain.

After Jiang Xiaobai won the civil and martial contest, Xiao Jinxuan appointed the top civil graduates and heard the martial candidates’ preferred posts. Tang Ningshuang asked to join the Frontier Army and Qin Zhaoye requested the Northern Frontier, leaving Jiang Xiaobai wary of the motives behind the requests.

• Xiao Jinxuan praised Jiang Xiaobai’s ingenuity, and Tang Ningshuang conceded defeat before Jiang Xiaobai teased her about losing to him.
• Xiao Jinxuan appointed Guo Zhan as a Hanlin Academy Compiler and Zhong Yu as a Hanlin Academy Reviewer, while assigning Jiang Xiaobai to investigate the Imperial Examination case before deciding his Hanlin post.
• Xiao Jinxuan told Tang Ningshuang, Qin Zhaoye, and Lu Chenshan that the martial top three could gain experience in the Imperial Guards or Shadowguard Bureau.
• Tang Ningshuang asked to join the army at the border, and Xiao Jinxuan said he would consider her request after warning her of the dangers.
• Qin Zhaoye requested enlistment at the Northern Frontier, prompting Jiang Xiaobai to suspect his timing was connected to Jiang Xiaobai’s departure from the Northern Guardian Marquis’s line of succession.
• Lu Chenshan said he would accept any assignment, and Xiao Jinxuan deferred decisions on all three martial graduates’ appointments.

After court, Jiang Xiaobai retaliated against Qin Zhaoye for deliberately bumping into him, while Tang Kui backed him up. As Jiang Xiaobai and Tang Kui headed toward the Chancellor's Residence, the Elder Princess's palanquin stopped and asked whether he was the Jiang Family's heir.

• After court, Qin Zhaoye deliberately bumped into Jiang Xiaobai, who kicked him from behind and then slapped him when Qin tried to leave.
• Tang Kui confronted Qin Zhaoye, who backed down and departed after Jiang Xiaobai ordered him to get lost.
• Tang Kui praised Jiang Xiaobai and offered to take him home, and Jiang Xiaobai asked to go to the Chancellor's Residence instead.
• Tang Ningshuang said she did not want to share a carriage with Jiang Xiaobai, so he started to leave with Tang Kui without her.
• A phoenix palanquin stopped as it passed Jiang Xiaobai, and its occupant asked whether he was the Jiang Family's heir; Tang Kui identified it as the Elder Princess's palanquin.

Jiang Xiaobai met the Elder Princess, who congratulated him and invited him to her palace, prompting suspicions because his brother had warned him to beware of her. Tang Kui confirmed that she was a powerful figure and the most beautiful woman in Great Hua, while Jiang Xiaobai joked about preparing for a beauty trap; the group then headed out of the palace.

• Jiang Xiaobai learned that the woman in the phoenix palanquin was the Elder Princess and warily greeted her.
• The Elder Princess congratulated Jiang Xiaobai on becoming Top Graduate and invited him to visit her palace.
• Jiang Xiaobai questioned Tang Kui about the Elder Princess, and Tang Kui warned him not to provoke her.
• Jiang Xiaobai asked about the Elder Princess's appearance, and Tang Kui said she was the most beautiful woman in Great Hua.
• Jiang Xiaobai joked with Tang Ningshuang about resisting a beauty trap, then followed Tang Kui toward the palace gates.

Jiang Xiaobai learned that the Former Emperor had once passed the throne to the Elder Princess, who later yielded it to the current emperor. After Jiang reached the Chancellor’s Residence, Tang Kui explained why the emperor had granted him authority, while Tang Ningshuang insisted she would never marry someone like Jiang.

• Tang Kui warned Jiang Xiaobai that scholars resented his purchase of office, and Jiang said he would soon earn their admiration.
• Jiang asked Tang Kui about the Elder Princess, and Tang Kui revealed that the Former Emperor had intended his thirteen-year-old daughter to inherit the throne before she yielded it to the current emperor.
• Jiang privately suspected the Elder Princess might have had reasons beyond opposition from the ministers for giving up the throne, while Tang Kui advised him not to provoke her.
• Jiang arrived at the Chancellor’s Residence, and Tang Kui urged him to consult Chancellor Li before investigating the Ministry of Rites.
• Tang Ningshuang asked why the emperor had granted Jiang such authority, and Tang Kui said the marriage would bring the Northern Guardian Marquis’s Estate’s military power back toward the Imperial Family.
• Tang Kui teased Tang Ningshuang about finding a husband, and she declared that she would never choose someone like Jiang Xiaobai.

Jiang Xiaobai went to the Chancellor's Residence to see Li Zhiwei, but learned she was away and waited in her room. A young man then burst in, calling for Wei'er and announcing that something terrible had happened.

• Jiang Xiaobai entered the Chancellor's Residence and asked a maid to direct him to Li Zhiwei's quarters.
• Jiang Xiaobai found Li Zhiwei's personal maid, Qingyi, who told him Li Zhiwei had gone out and had not returned.
• Qingyi invited Jiang Xiaobai to wait in Li Zhiwei's room, where he noticed a portrait that resembled him.
• A young man rushed into the room and called for Wei'er, saying something terrible had happened.